New Details About Lorenzen Wright's Last Day (Post #19)

MEMPHIS, Tenn. -- The sister of Lorenzen Wright says the former NBA player has been missing for nearly a week.

Savia Archie tells WREG.com in Memphis that Wright was last seen Sunday when he was expected to fly out of the city. The family has filed a missing persons report with police, who tell the website they don't suspect foul play.

A former top 10 NBA draft pick has gone missing, according to a report Friday.

Lorenzen Wright was reported missing to police in Collierville, Tenn., on Thursday, according to The Commercial Appeal website. A spokesman for the town, located about 20 miles east of Memphis, said the family told police they haven't seen the 6-foot-11 Wright since Sunday. The spokesman also said the police do not suspect foul play.

Wright, who was drafted seventh overall in the 1996 draft by the Los Angeles Clippers, played 13 seasons in the NBA. His last season was in 2008-09 with the Cleveland Cavaliers. Wright, who played collegiately at Memphis, averaged 8.0 points and 6.4 rebounds as a pro.

His transition from being out of the league didn't appear to be smooth. His house was foreclosed in May, according to The Commercial Appeal, and purchased by Golden State Warriors guard Monta Ellis the same month.

that's a big kick in the pants. I hope he didn't get into any drugs or anything.

If Your Uncle Jack Helped You Off An Elephant, Would You Help Your Uncle Jack Off An Elephant?

Sometimes, I like to buy a book on CD and listen to it, while reading music.

Law enforcement officials have found the body of missing Memphis basketball star Lorenzen Wright in a wooded area at Hacks Cross and Winchester in southeast Memphis.

A law enforcement source confirmed the body was that of Wright, who has been missing since July 19, though the Memphis Police Department won't officially comment. Police are referring to their investigation as a "death investigation."

At the Collierville home of Wright’s ex-wife, Sherra Robinson Wright, white bed sheets covered the windows. A man pulled aside the sheets to answer the doorbell and raised his finger to ask for a moment. Then at 4:15 p.m., sounds of wails and crying rose from inside the house. The man did not return to the door.

Wright's Death A Homicide By Gunshots

Memphis police released a statement Thursday verifying Wright's July 19 death was a homicide caused by gunfire, but they haven't said if they have any suspects or how many bullets struck him.

It's unknown whether the gunmen who were reportedly looking for Wright at his ex-wife's home had any involvement in his death or whether the incident she described to her attorney was ever reported to police.

It's also unknown whether Sherra Wright has given a statement since her ex-husband's body was discovered Wednesday afternoon.

Early Thursday, about 70 officers trudged over the site where the body was found, hunting for evidence while a police helicopter circled above. Yellow police tape kept reporters and onlookers a distance the length of two football fields away....

By afternoon, police allowed reporters to walk closer to the crime scene, around the bend of a long driveway, past high grass and weeds and into a clearing about 70 yards wide. Atop a small hill, just short of a wooded area, a cadaver dog found the remains, initially hidden from view by thick brush.

A black patch of grass in the outline of Wright's body suggested he was lying with his knees bent and one arm near his face.

Memorial Of Lorenzen Wright Held Wednesday At FedEx Forum

Lorenzen Wright was remembered Wednesday not only as a local basketball star but as a devoted family man with a deep affection for his community as thousands gathered inside FedExForum to mourn a life taken too soon.

The memorial service for Wright, who was found dead last week in Southeast Memphis from gunshot wounds, lasted nearly three hours and included speeches from his siblings, local dignitaries and members of the basketball community tracing his journey from Booker T. Washington High to the University of Memphis and the Memphis Grizzlies.

"He was a young man who never forgot who he was, where he came from, the values that shaped him and the people who

encouraged him along the way," Mayor AC Wharton said. "Lorenzen's story was one of those special Memphis stories where a man is able to transcend his roots even while he represents those roots proudly."

While many of the words and musical selections Wednesday were inspirational, several speakers used the occasion to lament that Wright's life was cut short at age 34 by an act of violence for which no arrests have been made.

Wright's Illegal Activities Just Prior To His Death

The ex-wife of slain former NBA player Lorenzen Wright told police she saw him leave her home carrying money and a box of drugs the night he disappeared, according to court documents obtained Wednesday.

Sherra Wright said her ex-husband left her home at 10:30 p.m. on July 18 with the drugs, returned a short time later, then left again with an unspecified amount of money, said an affidavit for a search warrant by Memphis police Sgt. W.D. Merritt.

Before he left, Sherra Wright said she overheard her ex-husband on the telephone telling someone that he was going to "flip something for $110,000," the document said.

Sherra Wright said Lorenzen Wright left her home in a car with a person she said she could not identify. Hours later, police dispatchers received a 911 call from Wright's cell phone and heard noises like gunshots before the call was dropped.

Wright's body was found July 28 in woods outside Memphis. The 34-year-old had been missing for 10 days. No arrests have been made in the homicide and Memphis police will not discuss whether they have a motive or suspects in the shooting death.

The affidavit said Sherra Wright gave the statements to police in the Memphis suburb of Collierville, where she lives, on July 27 - five days after the former University of Memphis basketball star's mother filed a missing person report.

Sherra Wright also told police that her ex-husband owned a shotgun that he kept at her home and a handgun he kept inside the family van. A search of the home and the van failed to turn up the weapons, the affidavit said.

Police did find shell casings of different caliber bullets at the scene where Wright was shot, but they could not find Wright's cell phone.

The affidavit said police were going to use documents showing ownership of the two weapons to see if they match the bullet shell casings recovered at the crime scene.